Top 50 recruiting classes heading into National Signing Day

The time has come: National Signing Day is here.

While there’s not much time left in the 2026 cycle, the rumor mill is churning. Flips and decommitments have been abundant as of late and that’s not expected to change across the final day of the cycle.

We continue to see some significant shifts in the Rivals Industry Team Recruiting Rankings. USC still holds its spot atop the list with Georgia close behind, but a few other schools are making late moves in attempt to close out their class strong.

The final player — and team rankings — won’t come until later this winter. But with ahead of the day where ink hits paper for the majority of players in the 2026 class, here’s a primer on the top classes in the country:

1. USC — 93.530

34 total commits
1 five-stars | 20 four-stars | 13 three-stars
Top Commit: 5-star TE Mark Bowman, No. 23 NATL. (No. 2 TE)

USC now holds 35 pledges this cycle, second-most to only North Carolina. Bowman leads the way and is flanked by a host of other top-100 prospects in Elbert Hill, Luke Wafle, Boobie Feaster, Keenyi Pepe, Jaimeon Winfield, Simote Katoanga, Talanoa Ili and Brandon Lockhart. Lincoln Riley and Co. are on the cusp of their first No. 1 class since 2006.

2. Notre Dame — 93.217

27 total commits
4 five-stars | 15 four-stars | 8 three-stars
Top Commit: 5-star EDGE Rodney Dunham, No. 17 NATL. (No. 5 EDGE)

Notre Dame recruited well under Brian Kelly, and continued to do during Marcus Freeman’s first few years on the job. But the Fighting Irish were never truly able to get over the hump and sign an elite class. They’re in position to do exactly that with one week until pen hits paper. Despite not having any in-state commits, ND has four top-50 commits, including a quartet of five-stars. But the depth is what separates this group from previous ones — 16 of Notre Dame’s pledges are ranked in the top 250 nationally.

3. Oregon — 93.124

19 total commits
5 five-stars | 11 four-stars | 3 four-stars
Top Commit: 5-star OT Immanuel Iheanacho, No. 13 NATL. (No. 3 OT)

Dan Lanning and the Ducks suffered through some tough early losses on the trail this cycle, but he has proven multiple times this cycle why he’s one of the best closers in the business. Oregon now has the national lead with a whopping five five-stars — hailing from Maryland, Nevada, North Carolina, Texas and Alabama. The Ducks have the highest average rating per commitment in the cycle, giving them the pound-for-pound best group this cycle. And they might not be done just yet.

4. Ohio State — 92.927

28 total commits
1 five-star | 16 four-stars | 11 three-stars
Top Commit: 5-star WR Chris Henry Jr., No. 7 NATL. (No. 1 WR)

Even with a No. 1 ranking and a berth in the CFP all but locked up, this class wasn’t quite living up to the historical standards in Columbus earlier this fall. But they’ve made some big moves and are now squarely in the mix for another top-five class. Henry is the lone five-star in the group, but five other top-100 prospects — DL Khary Wilder, CB Jay Timmons, OT Sam Greer, LB Cincere Johnson and S Blaine Bradford — help headline.

5. Georgia — 92.90

28 total commits
2 five-star | 20 four-stars | 8 three-stars
Top Commit: 5-star TE Kaiden Prothro, No. 30 NATL. (No. 4 TE)

With how successful Kirby Smart has been at Georgia, it’s become the expectation that the Bulldogs will challenge for a No. 1 class every year. They were just edged out by Texas in 2025, but they were right on the cusp this year behind the Trojans. But after Five-Star Plus+ quarterback Jared Curtis shocked UGA and flipped to Vanderbilt on Tuesday, they’ve dropped down three spots.

6. Alabama — 92.726

24 total commits
3 five-stars | 10 four-stars | 10 three-stars
Top Commit: 5-star RB Ezavier Crowell, No. 18 NATL. (No. 2 RB)

The questions about Kalen DeBoer’s penchant for recruiting — and frankly for winning games — have been put to rest this season. The Tide, despite only having 22 commitments, boast one of the country’s best recruiting classes yet again. It is headlined by three five-star commits — Crowell, LB Xavier Griffin and S Jireh Edwards. An additional six top-100 prospects are also in the mix, too, including CB Jorden Edmonds and WR Cederian Morgan, both of whom are flirting with five-star status.

7. Texas – 92.589

24 total commits
3 five-stars | 12 four-stars | 10 four-stars
Top Commit: QB Dia Bell, No. 8 NATL. (No. 3 QB)

Recruiting hasn’t been an issue for the Longhorns under Steve Sarkisian, as Texas is trying to lock in its fourth straight top-five class with some late magic before National Signing Day. Bell is the crown jewel of the group, but Sark and his staff also went into California and Georgia to land five-stars Richard Wesley and Tyler Atkinson, respectively. They’ve also made their presence felt in Florida, landing three of the state’s top 15 players in Bell, running back Derrek Cooper and defensive lineman James Johnson.

8. Miami — 92. 153

29 total commits
1 five-stars | 19 four-stars | 9 three-stars
Top Commit: 5-star OT Jackson Cantwell, No. 2 NATL. (No. 1 OT)

The Hurricanes have moved back into the top 10 of the team rankings after the latest Rivals300 update, and Cantwell still headlines as the lone five-star in the class. But he’s surrounded by 19 other blue-chippers and major rankings riser Somourian Wingo, who rivals clocks as the No. 22 player in the class. Mario Cristobal and his staff have eyes on a few more additions that could move them up the list even further.

9. Texas A&M — 92.124

26 total commits
1 five-star | 20 four-stars | 5 three-stars
Top Commit: 5-star CB Brandon Arrington, No. 29 NATL. (No. 2 CB)

The criticism of the Aggies under Jimbo Fisher was that the recruiting ability didn’t match the on-field performance. Times have changed under Mike Elko, as A&M is one of just a handful of undefeated teams remaining and has a first-round College Football Playoff bye in its sights. At the same time, they’ve loaded up one of the nation’s best classes in 2026. Their top four commits are top-100 players and they’ve landed a whopping 21 blue-chip pledges — one of the highest marks in the country.

10. Tennessee – 92.067

24 total commits
2 five-stars | 11 four-stars | 10 three-stars
Top Commit: QB Faizon Brandon, No. 9 NATL. (No. 4 QB)

Flipmas came early this year, as Josh Heupel and Co. went on a spree of poaching other teams top commits. That includes five-star WR Tristen Keys (LSU), EDGE Hezekiah Harris (Auburn), and OT Kamari Blair (South Carolina), and they’re still working for more. Seven of their 23 commitments rank among the top-100 nationally, and they’re up to 13 blue-chippers in total.

Teams 11-50 in in latest rankings before National Signing Day

11. LSU – 91.882
12. Michigan – 91.846
13. Florida – 90.353
14. Florida State – 90.153
15. Washington – 90.084

16. Oklahoma – 90.074
17. Clemson – 89.855
18. North Carolina – 89.735
19. South Carolina – 89.713
20. Texas Tech – 89.074

21. Ole Miss – 88.849
22. Iowa – 88.722
23. Illinois – 88.635
24. Missouri – 88.618
25. SMU – 88.438

26. BYU – 88.405 
27. Minnesota – 88.215
28. Indiana – 88.083
29. Syracuse – 88.040
30. Virginia Tech – 87.953

31. Vanderbilt – 87.917
32. West Virginia – 87.730
33. Arizona State – 87.766
34. Mississippi State – 87.601
35. TCU – 87.515

36. Houston – 87.490
37. Utah – 87.471
38. Maryland – 87.450
39. Michigan State – 87.409
40. Arizona – 87.394

41. Rutgers – 87.367
42. Louisville – 87.217
43. Kansas State – 87.074
44. Pittsburgh – 87.065
45. Stanford – 87.027

46. Georgia Tech – 87.019
47. Wisconsin – 86.910
48. California – 86.861
49. Kansas – 86.806
50. Iowa State – 86.751